District Court with Judge Evans

3/20/2018
by Susan Wilder

Leon County District Court was held Friday, March 16th, in the Centerville Courthouse. The Honorable District Judge Deborah Oakes Evans presided. There to represent the state was Leon County Assistant District Attorney Keith Cook.

Brandon Jomantae Venable was sentenced after he agreed to a plea bargain. Venable was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Corrections (TDC) after pleading guilty to two charges of Aggravated Robbery. His sentence will begin at a later date. As part of the plea agreement, Venable will be required to testify truthfully in other related cases. The attorney for Venable was Chris Martin.

Megan Jo Martinez agreed to a plea bargain to settle her case. Martinez pled guilty to a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance and a charge of Tampering/Fabricating Physical Evidence. Martinez was sentenced to 3 years in the Texas Department of Corrections Jail (TDCJ). The attorney for Martinez was Joel Hardy.

Max Raymond Birden was sentenced to 2 years deferred adjudication after pleading guilty to Possession of Marijuana. Birden must pay a $2,000 fine, $350 in court costs, $50 to Crime Stoppers, $150 in restitution, and he must perform 150 hours of community service. The attorney for Birden was Chris Martin.

Bennie Thomas Snell was sentenced to 6 years on probation after he pled guilty to a charge of Driving While Intoxicated, 3rd or More. The attorney for Snell was George Robinson.

The cases against former Leon County Deputies Dustin Bresko, Matthew Blake Cowan, Brandon Monk, and Christian Negron were all reset for April 20th. Each are charged with Misuse of Official Information. Each defendant has his own attorney.

The case against Cullen Shane Pate was reset for April. Pate is charged with two counts of Aggravated Robbery. The attorney for Pate is Steve Keathley.

Ashley Marie Pond failed to show up for her scheduled court date. Pond is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. The attorney for Pond is William Carter.

A Motion to Revoke in the case of Malcolm Jermaine Haven was set for April. Haven, who is currently free on bond, is charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury to Family Member. The attorney for Haven is Joel Hardy.

The case against Steven Ray Latham was set for April. Latham, who is free on bond, is charged with Injury to a Child/Elderly/Disabled with Intentions of Bodily Injury. The attorney representing Latham is Chad Morgan.

Edward Galicia?s case was reset for April. Allegations of bond violations have been added to the case. Galicia is charged with two counts of Sexual Assault of a Child. The attorney for Galicia is Michelle Latray.

There were no pretrial motions made in the case against Brandon Dewayne Johnson. Johnson is charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. The attorney for Johnson is Joel Hardy.

Arraignments:

Ralph Roy Wallace entered a not guilty plea to the charge of Driving While Intoxicated, 3rd or More. Wallace did not have an attorney. After applying for court assistance, the judge appointed Attorney Michelle Latray to represent Wallace.

Malcolm Takashi Brooks appeared in court without a lawyer. After completing a request for assistance, the judge appointed Attorney Chris Martin to represent Brooks. Brooks plead not guilty to a charge of Possession of Marijuana.

Delingo Haven, Jr., who is being held in the Leon County Jail, entered a plea of not guilty to two charges Sexual Assault of a Child. The attorney for Haven is Chris Martin.